Display rack



J. KROMAN April 4, 1939.

DISPLAY RACK Filed Oct. 15, 1958 end panels 6. l a series thereof extending parallel to the disposed parallel to each other and Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 15,

5 Claims.

My invention relates to display racks andparticularly to such racks which may be disassembled.

In displaying greeting cards and many other kinds of relatively small articles it is usually very desirable to support the articles by means of a suitable rack.

An object of my invention is to provide a rack for supporting and displaying small articles by an observer facing the rack.

Yet another object is to provide such a rack arranged to support an advertising card or the like disposed thereabove.

Still another object is to provide such a rack which may be quickly and easily assembled or disassembled, which is particularly rigid when in assembled condition, and which may be placed in very compact condition when disassembled.

A further object is to provide such a rack of light, simple and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of my invention while the same is in assembled condition;

Fig. 2 is a partially broken-away, partial sectional end view;

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the parts of the rack of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view of another rack of Figs. 1 and 2; and V Fig. 5 is a view of still another of the parts of the rack of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing my display rack includes a pair of end panels 6 which when the rack is in assembled condition are aligned with each other and disposed in spaced parallel vertical planes. Each of the end panels 6 has a forward edge which slopes downwardly and forwardly in the major portion 6a thereof and is substantially vertically disposed in the lowermost portion 62) thereof. rearward corner portion has a relatively short horizontally extending edge 60.

Each panel 6 in its upper A plurality of article supporting members I are disposed within the space between the respective The members i are arranged in sloping edges 6a of the panels 6. The members 1 are each one of the parts of the I 1938, Serial No. 235,197 (01. 211-72) thereof extends from one to the other of the panels 6 when the rack is in assembled condition.

Means "is provided for removably connecting the upper portion of each article supporting member '1' to the panels 6. For this purpose cars !a are provided at the upper ends of the respective end edges of each of the members 1 and are disposed in outwardly projecting relationv thereto. The panels 6 are provided in the sloping forward marginal portions thereof with notches 6d for receiving the inner portions of the ears 1a on the members 7. The notches [id as shown in Fig. 4 are inclined downwardy and somewhat forwardly so that the upper portions of the article supporting members 1 are accordingly inclined. The ears 1a. as shown in Fig. 3 'are widened in their free end portions to restrain the ears 1a from' undesired horizontal movement in the notches 6d. Each member I is bent or folded along the Means is provided whereby the forwardly extending lower portion 10 of each member 1 is supported from the upper portion of the respective member I therebelow. The forwardly projecting portions 10 of the members 1 are each provided with forwardly projecting tongues III which are received in slots 1e formed in the upper portions of the members 1 as shown in Fig. 3. The rectangular member 8 shown in Fig. 5 is provided and extends across the lower front portion of the rack with its respective ends situated approximately at the vertically disposed lower edge portions 6b of the respective end panels 6. Means is provided for removably connecting the respective ends of the rectangular member 8 with the vertical edge portions 6b of the respective panels 6. Each panel 6 is provided with an ear Ge extending forwardly from the medial portion of the vertical edge 6b. Each ear lie is extended upwardly in its outer portion to form a retaining element 6]. The respective ends of the member 8 are provided with ears 8a carrying depending retaining elements 8b. The member 8 is moved downwardly to its normal position during the process of assembling the rack so that the are interengaged, as indicated in Fig. 2. The upper portion of the member 8 is provided with slots 80 similar to theslots 1e of the members 1 so that the tongues 1d of the lowermost one of the members 7 may be received in the slots 80 of the member 8.

The slots 'l-e of the uppermost one of the mem bers 7 is not necessary but would be provided in practice due to the fact that one die or the like would be used in the manufacture of all of the members 'I.

The uppermost portion of each of the panels 6 is provided with a notch 6 as shown in Fig.

In assembling the rack the panels 6 are placed in aligned parallel properly spaced relation with each other whereupon the rectangular member 8 may be moved downwardly into interengaged relation with the ears 66. The tongues Id of the first member 1 above the member 8 may then be placed in the slots 80 of the member 8 whereafter the ears 8a of this first member I are thrust downwardly into the lowermost pair of notches 6d. The succeeding ones of the members 1 may be successively placed in normal position in a similar manner. The method of disassembling the rack is merely the reverse of the above described assembling process. The various parts of the rack when the rack is in disassembled condition may be placed together in a very compact group which is easy to wrap, transport, or store.

In Fig. 2 articles H), which may be greeting cards or the like, are shown in dotted lines as having been placed in supported relation with the uppermost one of the article supporting members 1. It is to be noted that the major portion of the frontmost one of the articles i is exposed to view from a point forwardly of the rack.

It is apparent that I have invented a novel, light, compact and inexpensive type of display rack which is particularly capable of being rapidly and easily assembled and disassembled and which is relatively rigid when assembled and capable of being efliciently compacted when disassembled.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A disassembleable display rack comprising, a pair of similar aligned panels normally situated in respective spaced, parallel, vertical planes and each having a sloping forward edge, a series of generally rectangular article-supporting members arranged parallel to each other in a series extending parallel to said forward edges, each of said members normally extending from one to the other of said panels and being bent to be dis- 6 posed other than horizontally in its upper portion and to extend generally forwardly in its lower portion, supporting elements projecting outwardly from the respective end edges of each of said members, said panels supportingly receiving said elements, and supporting elements projecting forwardly from the forward edge of each of said members, each of said members adjoined by another one of said members thereabove in its upper portion supportingly receiving the forwardly projecting supporting elements of said other one of said members.

2. A disassembleable display rack comprising, a pair of similar aligned panels normally situated in respective spaced, parallel, vertical planes and each having a sloping forward edge, a series of substantially rectangular article-supporting members arranged parallel to each other in a series extending parallel to said forward edges, each of said members normally extending from one to the other of said panels and being bent to slope downwardly and somewhat forwardly in its upper portion and extend substantially forwardly in its lower portion ears projecting outwardly from the uppermost portions of the respective end edges of each of said members, said panels being provided in the forward marginal portions thereof with notches for receiving said ears, and tongues projecting forwardly from the forward edge of each of said members, each of said members adjoined by one of said members at a level thereabove being slotted in its upper portion to receive the tongues of said other member.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and'said first-mentioned ears being shaped to protrude downwardly in their respective free end portions to restrain said ears from undesired withdrawal a pair of similar aligned panels in respective spaced, parallel, vertical planes, each of said panels having a forward edge which slopes forwardly and downwardly in its major portion and is substantially vertically disposed in its lowermost portion, a series of generally rectangular article-supporting members arranged parallel to each other in a series extending paral-' lel to the sloping portions of said forward edges, each of said members normally extending from one to the other of said panels and being bent to be disposed other than horizontally in its upper portion and to extend generally forwardly in its lower portion, supporting elements projecting outwardly from the respective end edges of each of said members, said panels being arranged for supportingly receiving said elements, a flat member extending between said lowermost portions of the forward edges of said respective panels, means for removably connecting the ends of said fiat member to said respective forward edges, and supporting elements projecting forwardly from the forward edge of each of said first-mentioned members, said flat member and at least all of said first-mentioned members except the uppermost one thereof in its upper portion supportingly receiving the forwardly projecting supporting elements of the one of said first-mentioned members disposed next thereabove.

5. A disassembleable display rack comprising, a pair of similar aligned panels normally situated in respective spaced, parallel, vertical planes, each of said panels having a forward edge which slopes forwardly and downwardly in its major portion and is substantially vertically disposed in its lowermost portion, a series of generally rectangular article-supporting members arranged parallel to each other in a series extending parallel to the sloping portions of said forward edges, each of said members normally extending from one to the other of said panels and being bent to be disposed other than horizontally in its upper portion and to extend generally forwardly in its lower portion, means for removably connecting the upper portions of the respective end edges of each of said members to said panels, a flat member extending between and removably connected to said lowermost portions of the forward edges of said panels, and tongues projecting forwardly from the forward edge of each of said first-mentioned members, said flat member and at least all of said first-mentioned members except the uppermost one thereof each having slots in the upper portion thereof receiving the tongues of the one of said first-mentioned members dispose next thereabove.

JULIUS KROMAN. 

